Structures of the Reactive Intermediates in Organocatalysis with Diarylprolinol Ethers

Structures of the reactive intermediates (enamines and iminium ions) of organocatalysis with diarylprolinol derivatives have been determined. To this end, diarylprolinol methyl and silyl ethers, 1 , and aldehydes, Ph? CH₂? CHO, ^tBu? CH₂? CHO, Ph? CH=CH? CHO, are condensed to the corresponding enamines, A and 3 (Scheme 2), and cinnamoylidene iminium salts, B and 4 (Scheme 3). These are isolated and fully characterized by melting/decomposition points, [α]_D, elemental analysis, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and high‐resolution mass spectrometry (HR‐MS). Salts with BF₄, PF₆, SbF₆, and the weakly coordinating Al[OC(CF₃)₃]₄ anion were prepared. X‐Ray crystal structures of an enamine and of six iminium salts have been obtained and are described herein (Figs. 2 and 4–8, and Tables 2 and 7) and in a previous preliminary communication (Helv. Chim. Acta 2008 , 91, 1999). According to the NMR spectra (in CDCl₃, (D₆)DMSO, (D₆)acetone, or CD₃OD; Table 1), the major isomers 4 of the iminium salts have (E)‐configuration of the exocyclic N?C(1′) bond, but there are up to 11% of the (Z)‐isomer present in these solutions (Fig. 1). In all crystal structures, the iminium ions have (E)‐configuration, and the conformation around the exocyclic N‐C? C‐O bond is synclinal‐exo (cf. C and L ), with one of the phenyl groups over the pyrrolidine ring, and the RO group over the π‐system. One of the meta‐substituents (Me in 4b , CF₃ in 4c and 4e ) on a 3,5‐disubstituted phenyl group is also located in the space above the π‐system. DFT Calculations at various levels of theory (Tables 3–6) confirm that the experimentally determined structures (cf. Fig. 10) are by far (up to 8.3 kcal/mol) the most stable ones. Implications of the results with respect to the mechanism of organocatalysis by diarylprolinol derivatives are discussed.     

Development and Validation of an LC–ESI-MS Ion-Trap Method for Analysis of Impurities in Transkarbam 12, a Novel Transdermal Accelerant

A new, sensitive LC–MS method for evaluation of the purity of Transkarbam 12 (T12), a novel and highly effective accelerant of transdermal penetration, has been developed and validated. T12 and its impurities (6-aminohexanoic acid, AH, ε-caprolactam, CA, and dodecyl 6-(6-aminohexanamido)hexanoate, DAH) were characterized by MS and MS–MS analysis. Separation was achieved on a 150 mm × 3 mm, 5-μm particle, phenyl–hexyl column. The mobile phase was a gradient prepared from water, formic acid, and acetonitrile. The method was validated within the concentration range 50–250 ng mL^?1; correlation coefficients were >0.998. The accuracy of the method was from 98.6–105.0% for AH, 102.6–104.8% for CA, and 97.9–100.9% for DAH. Precision was in the range 3.19–4.42% for AH, 3.22–5.81% for CA, and 4.8–8.78% for DAH. The selectivity of the method and sample stability were also confirmed. The practical applicability of the method was proven by analysis of T12 bulk substance.     

Bottlebrush‐shaped copolymers with cellulose diacetate backbone by a combination of ring opening polymerization and ATRP

Graft copolymers with cellulose diacetate (CDA) backbone and both the poly(ε‐caprolactone) and polystyrene, or poly(butyl acrylate) or PMMA grafts were prepared by two‐step process. First, ε‐caprolactone (CL) was polymerized by ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) initiated with CDA, partly funcionalized with 2‐bromo‐isobutyryl groups (degree of functionalization was 0.5). The p(CDA‐g‐CL) copolymers were used in the second step as polyfunctional macroinitiators of ATRP of the vinyl monomer, giving densely grafted copolymers with polyester and PSt, or PBuA, or PMMA grafts. The prepared copolymers were characterized by SEC, some of them also by FTIR spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 564–573, 2008     

Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of unsaturated nitrones derived from methyl α-d-glucopyranoside

The intramolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of unsaturated nitrones derived from methyl α-d-glucopyranoside with 2-furaldehyde has been studied. This cycloaddition was found to afford three 9-oxa-1-azabicyclo[4.2.1]nonane diastereomers in a 3:1:1 ratio [with the principal isomer possessing a (3S,4R,5S,6S,8S) configuration, determined by NMR spectroscopy]. The effects of different Lewis acid catalysts (MgCl₂, ZnCl₂ and BF₃·OEt₂) on yields and diastereomeric ratios have been examined in detail. The best result (90% yield) was achieved when MgCl₂ was present (in toluene, 120 °C bath temperature, 12 h). The stereoselectivity of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition was not significantly altered under the conditions investigated.     

Label-free electrical determination of trypsin activity by a silicon-on-insulator based thin film resistor.

A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) based thin film resistor is employed for the label-free determination of enzymatic activity. We demonstrate that enzymes, which cleave biological polyelectrolyte substrates, can be detected by the sensor. As an application, we consider the serine endopeptidase trypsin, which cleaves poly-L-lysine (PLL). We show that PLL adsorbs quasi-irreversibly to the sensor and is digested by trypsin directly at the sensor surface. The created PLL fragments are released into the bulk solution due to kinetic reasons. This results in a measurable change of the surface potential allowing for the determination of trypsin concentrations down to 50 ng mL(-1). Chymotrypsin is a similar endopeptidase with a different specificity, which cleaves PLL with a lower efficiency as compared to trypsin. The activity of trypsin is analyzed quantitatively employing a kinetic model for enzyme-catalyzed surface reactions. Moreover, we have demonstrated the specific inactivation of trypsin by a serine protease inhibitor, which covalently binds to the active site of the enzyme.